Despite international efforts to speed up the dismantling of chemical weapons, the United Nations and an international chemical weapons monitoring group said Syria is likely to miss a year-end deadline.
The deadline was the first key milestone under a UN Security Council-backed deal between Russia and the United States to destroy Syria’s entire chemical arsenal by the middle of 2014.
Reportedly, Syria has until June 2014 to cooperate with the international community to remove and eliminate its chemical arsenal.
The US-Russia deal for Syria to surrender to the international community its massive chemical stockpile averted imminent US-led military strikes after the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus that reportedly killed 1,400 people.
Reportedly, the Dec. 31deadline is unlikely due to the volatility in security conditions in Syria.
According to a joint statement by the UN and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Syria’s worsening civil war, logistical problems and bad weather has rendered transportation of chemical materials outside Syria, the New York Times reported.
Reportedly, the internationally-agreed plan directs the chemicals to be transported to the Syrian port of Latakia then to Italy where these are to be placed on a US Navy ship specially fitted with equipment to destroy the weapons at sea.
While the UN and OPCW are monitoring and helping with the operation, the Syrian government has prime responsibility for moving the chemicals.
The onus is on Syria to collect tons of sulfur mustard and other precursors for making Sarin and nerve gas from 12 of the identified storage sites to port Latakia.
According to the New York Times, “transporting the chemicals by road to Latakia poses a particular challenge. Syrian government forces, which reportedly control the road from Damascus to the port, may still face the danger of rebel attacks.”
Reportedly, fighting between President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and opposition rebels has prevented transportation of the chemicals, and some details of the destruction plans have still not been finalized.
Ever since Syria disclosed its chemical weapons program three months ago, significant progress has been made. According to a UN-OPCW statement, “Syria has started the destruction of equipment at facilities it declared and completed the eradication of missiles intended for chemical weapons use ahead of schedule.”
However, the UN and OPCW also highlighted the importance of maintaining a positive momentum by Assad’s government with regard to destroying the chemical arsenal.
Sources linked to within text.